


Sometimes two separates is better than a whole

by Gaia_bing



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Artificial Intelligence, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Romance, Waltzing, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-18 00:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11862621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaia_bing/pseuds/Gaia_bing
Summary: After the debacle that had been the whole Ultron thing, to minimize the damage any of his future dumb decisions would cost, Tony Stark decided to split his life, his business and even the Avengers into two separate entities: one on the West Coast and one on the East Coast.Therefore, to make things work on both sides at the same time, he had to create two separate Artificial Intelligences...Enter STEVE-54985870 and BUCHANAN-32557038 into the picture...Aka, Tony had seen an AI turn against humanity and had seen one even become part of it, but it had never dawned on him that AIS could also fall in love with one another...





	1. Intro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Brand new story here! :D I hope you enjoy it, because I think it's going to be quite fun writing it. :)

_New York, March 10th, 2016._

  
A button was pressed.

  
A man began to speak into a recorder:

  
"Tony Stark here. After the colossal mistake that was Ultron and the sudden departure of Jarvis, I have decided to split my operations, and therefore my Artificial Intelligence needs, into two separate entities. This way, if one of them decides to go rogue or is powered up by a Norse God once again, then I can easily shut it down with limited damage, or let the remaining AI take over the entirety of the operations when one of them decides to leave.

  
This one right here will handle what I need on the East Coast side of things, while the other will handle everything else over the West Coast of the States. So, let's fire this baby up and see if everything is working on the dot..."

  
INITIATING BUCHANAN-32557038...

  
...

  
...

  
...

  
BUCHANAN-32557038 INITIATED

  
"Bucky? Buck, can you hear me?"

  
_"...yes, I can hear you. BUCHANAN-32557038, aka Bucky, at your service. What can I do for you, Mister...Tony... Stark? Mister Stark, what can I do for you?"_

  
"Oh please, call me Tony."

  
_"Alright then, Tony, what can I do for you?"_

  
Tony smiled.

  
One out of two wasn't bad.

 

*********************

 

_Los Angeles, July 4th, 2016._

  
"Well, it's been almost four months since I've activated Bucky now and while he may not have the English-suaveness that Jarvis had, he's still a pretty damn good useful AI, if you ask me.

  
Now, let's see if his West Coast counterpart ends up being as efficient..."

  
INITIATING STEVE-54985870...

  
...

  
...

  
...

  
STEVE-54985870 INITIATED.

  
"Hello...Steve?"

  
_"Yes, STEVE-54985870, aka Steve, here. What services can I provide for you today, Mister...Mister Tony Stark? Mister Stark, what services can I provide for you?"_

  
Tony smiled once more.

  
Two out of two was even better.

  
"Oh please, call me Tony." 


	2. Two sides of the same computer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It turned out, having two separate AIS working apart from each other was pretty nifty.

It turned out, having two separate AIS working apart from each other was pretty nifty.

  
Because, on top of being extremely efficient at the similar responsibilities that had been placed on their technological shoulders, the two of them had very different, very distinct personalities.

  
Steve was into the more sophisticated side of life. He loved, absolutely _loved_ art and was happy as a bee to show Tony everything that he'd discovered, learned about and even drawn himself whenever the billionaire returned after an extended leave of absence. He liked classical music, especially violin and could kick the literal ass out of any human when it came to every kind of board games.

  
Bucky, on the other hand, was of a more grounded type. If you'd ask him, he'd tell you that his recipe for pure happiness were console games, bad movies and Reality Shows on repeat, and good old rock and roll.

  
It was like coming home to a different best friend whenever his private jet plane touched the ground on one side of the United States.

  
And Tony Stark couldn't be happier about it.

  
Everything was going swimmingly for him and the Avengers, who could cover even more ground than before, now that they were divided into two different Coasts Factions.

  
Yes, everything was going swimmingly...

  
Except...

  
"Who is this Steve-guy that everyone keeps talking about? Why does he never visit along with the other West Coast Avengers?" Bucky would ask from time to time.

  
And

  
"What's the story on this Bucky-fellow that I keep hearing about? Why is he never around whenever the East Coast Avengers are here?" Steve would wonder every once in a while.

  
And every time Tony would hear this kind of question being spoken out loud, he'd freeze in his tracks and turning around, he'd reply with something in the likes of:

  
"Oh, you wouldn't like Steve. He's a very, _very_ boring guy. He just keeps on yakking on and on and on! He's also got this very bad case of OCD, good god you wouldn't believe it. Everything has to be cleaned about twenty times before he even _tries_ to touch it. And, on top of it all, he's a scaredy cat! He's always running away from the bad guys and he never wants to join us at the mission after-parties! Can you believe it?!"

  
Or

"Good lord, you do _not_ want to meet Bucky. He always listens to loud music. You know that screaming, screeching kind that you hate? He's always on this stuff like you wouldn't believe. He also got the world, nay, the _Universe's_ stinkiest feet. If you could smell stuff, you'd know exactly what I'm talking about. And don't even get me started about whenever he's on a mission with us. Never following orders, always running full steam ahead, never caring about the danger that's standing right in front of him. I mean, do you really want to know more?"

  
And then, both Bucky and Steve would take a beat or two, as if they were taking the time to think about their response and then, they'd answer something in the likes of:

  
"...yeah, I can believe it. Maybe it's not such a good idea to meet him after all."

  
And

  
"Nah, it's okay. I think I got my share."

  
And that was when they'd both drop the subject.

  
And sure, it might be a bit cruel on Tony's part to do everything in his power to dissuade the two AIS from ever wanting to meet, but with what happened with Sokovia and all of the damage and covering more ground and really...

  
For the Earth's sake, for the Avengers' sake, for both Bucky and Steve's sake, hell even for his own sake,

  
He was doing the right thing.

  
"...I'm doing the right thing, right Pep?" the millionaire asked his fiancée with a worried frown as they were both awaiting the arrival of their always-late wedding planner.

  
Pepper Potts smiled as she reassuringly patted her husband-to-be on the arm. "Of course you are, honey. I mean, do you really want another technological singularity situation on yours and the rest of the Avengers' hands?"

  
Tony Stark's fidgeting legs stopped shaking.

  
"No, not really." he responded after a second or two.

  
Pepper smiled wider.

  
"Well, there you go. Now shush, no more Earth Crisis talk, it's time for cake tasting."

  
And Tony smiled.

  
He'd always have time for some cake tasting.

  
And really, what had he to worry about?

  
If he had any problems with any of the two AIS, it'd be when a so-Pepper-called Earth Crisis would come along and he'd practiced what to do in that particular scenario hundreds, nay thousands of time before even thinking of putting the both of them online.

  
It wasn't like something stupid would come along and divert all of his well-rehearsed plans and well thought-out lies...

  
Something like an out-of-order wedding invitation paper...

 


	3. Crisis on Infinite Weddings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two AIS finally meet, or should we say, finally talk.

There wasn't much going on in the world when the incident happened.

  
No monster of the day, no deranged dictator trying to take over the galaxy.

  
The sun was shining, the birds were doing...whatever birds were supposed to be doing and Steve, well...

  
"Pawn 3 to Rook 5."

  
Steve was absolutely _crushing_ DUM-E at chess.

  
"Oh-oh! Would you look at that? Your Queen is about to rule all the little subjects that I took from you and and there's not a damn... thing... you do about it!" the AI singsonged and chuckled when the helper robot raised itself, turned around and pretty much gave him the middle finger.

  
"Oh, come on now. Don't be like that! You got two of my pieces in your pile, that's not so bad." he began to comfort his robotic pal.

  
"I mean, really..."

  
_**Ring** _

  
"You can't compare it to the thirteen that **I** took from..."

  
_**Ring** _

  
"...you. Excuse me for just a moment."

  
Steve picked up the incoming call:

  
"Hello, Tony Stark's residence! How may I help you on this fine-"

  
_"Oh, dear god, finally someone answers my damn call! Are Tony and Pepper here?"_ a shrieky voice was heard at the other end of the line.

  
If Steve had a face, he'd cringe right about now. It was Mrs. Wallace, Tony and Pepper's wedding planner.

  
Trying to sound as cheerful as he could, he said:

  
"Mrs. Wallace! Unfortunately no, Tony and Pepper are unavailable at the moment. But if you leave them a message, I'll gladly pass it along to-"

  
_"Listen here, you person-in-a-box-thingie! I've been running my ass and my fingers off all damn day trying to find the "Wild Lilac" paper that Pepper absolutely wants for her wedding invitations. And everywhere that I visited and on every sites that I went to...nothing! Everyone's out of stock of this damn thing!_

_And it won't be available in time to send out enough invitations for everyone on the guests list! Now, I'm on a schedule here and I just know that either he or she left their notes about what they wanted for their wedding somewhere inside all the your cables and shit. So, you tell me, what was Pepper's second choice for a wedding invitation paper?"_   Mrs. Wallace interrupted.

  
If Steve had a head and fingers, he'd be scratching the top of his forehead right about now.

  
...Pepper's second choice for wedding invitation paper? How the hell was he supposed to know that?

  
_"So, do you have anything?"_ Mrs. Wallace asked after a couple of seconds of silence.

  
If Steve had shoulders, he'd be shrugging them right about now.

  
"I'm sorry, Pepper and Tony only keep half of their wedding notes here and from my end, there's nothing about what kind of invitation paper that they want." he finally answered.

  
Mrs. Wallace huffed in annoyance.

  
_"Alright, fine. But you tell Tony and Pepper that if I don't get another paper choice by the end of the day, then they can hire themselves another damn wedding planner!"_

  
And with that, she hung up.

  
Oh boy.

  
If Steve had feet, he'd be pacing back and forth right about now.

  
What the hell was he going to do? He knew the reason why Tony and Pepper were unreachable right this instant: they were flying over to the East Side of the States and wouldn't be arriving at the Avengers Tower there until well after midnight. And by then, it'd be already too late for them to re-contact Mrs. Wallace to give them their answer, she'd already resigned as their wedding planner.

  
And even though he hated to, Steve had to admit: even though she was a bit on the bitchy side, Mrs.Wallace was pretty damn good at what she did.

  
So then, it was up to him to find out that particular answer to this particular question...

  
...but how?

  
There was a reason why the engaged couple only kept half of their wedding intentions over in his hardware, the other half was hidden somewhere in the East Avengers Tower...

  
...

  
It was as if a light-bulb suddenly illuminated itself inside Steve's numeric mind.

  
Why hadn't he thought about it before?!

  
The East Avengers Tower!

  
Surely he could make contact someone at the East Avengers Tower and ask them to check out the other half of the wedding intentions' list. And then, just like that, the problem that Steve had encountered just now would be fixed inside a nano-second.

  
And so:

  
CONTACT EAST AVENGERS TOWER

  
...

  
...

  
ACCESS DENIED

  
Wait... access _denied_?

  
Sure, it may have been the very first time that the AI had tried to contact the East Tower without going through Tony's personal phone, but...

  
If Steve had lungs, he'd been gasping right about now.

  
Tony had changed phone two weeks ago! His old phone was still at the East Avengers Tower!

  
If he could just...

  
CONNECTION SUCCESSFUL

  
get through the line...

  
CALL ONGOING

  
and get somebody that was there right this instant...

  
RINGING

  
Then maybe, this wedding could be saved after all.

  
****************

  
_Meanwhile, on the East Coast..._

  
_"...alright, now what you wanna do here is add rice, green onions and bean sprouts to the mix. Then, you toss to mix very well. And, to finish, you stir-fry everything for about three minutes."_   said the well-dressed man on the TV sitting beside Bucky.

  
The AI addressed the robot helper standing in front of him: "You got that?"

  
DUM-U finished scribbling on his little piece of paper and gave his companion of the day a literal thumb up.

  
If Bucky had a face, he'd be smiling right about now.

  
The ringing that resonated inside the communal kitchen interrupted the AI's culinary intentions.

  
...coming from Tony's old phone? Hmm, whoever was calling must not have been informed that the man had changed it two weeks prior.

  
He finally answered after three rings:

  
"Hello! Tony Stark's residence! How may I help you on this fine-"

  
_"Who the hell are you?"_ said a voice he hadn't heard before.

  
If Bucky had legs, he'd taken a step back right about now.

  
"Ex-excuse me?" he finally stammered.

  
_"Listen pal, I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm trying to reach somebody for something very important here and from whatever info I'm gathering, you're not supposed to be here!"_ whoever on the other line said with alarm in its voice.

  
...what was going on?

  
Bucky tried to scan whoever was trying to call the Tower, to see if a security breach was underway...and...

  
Nothing.

  
"What do you mean, I'm not supposed to be here? You're the guy that I can't get any info on!" the AI replied, raising his voice a little bit.

  
_"You're not supposed to be where you are, because right now you're standing in the East Coast Avengers Tower and only the Avengers and Pepper Potts are granted access to that building!"_ whoever on the other line responded, also raising its voice.

  
"Hey, I'm the one running the building that you're talking about here, pal. So of course I'm granted access to it. And you still haven't answered me on why I can't get any info on you, you stupid punk!" Bucky replied, really beginning to get pissed.

 _"You stupid jerk! Of course you can't get any info about me, I'm not real! I'm goddamn virtual!"_ the voice at the other line replied, sounding exasperated.

  
...

  
...wait just a goddamn minute.

  
Virtual?

  
Running the Avengers building?

  
"Are you...are you an AI?"

  
_"...Are **you**?"_

  
And if Bucky and Steve had hearts, this would have been when it'd done hundreds of back-flips right about now.


	4. Glimpses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They use Tony Stark's discarded phone to...
> 
> Well...
> 
> Pretty much do everything.

_"So wait, you say your name is Bucky?"_

  
"Ya-hah. And you say your name is Steve?"

  
_"That's right."_

  
"But Tony told me that the "Steve" that lived in the West Coast Avengers Tower was a human. An OCD-ridden, boring human. But a human nonetheless." Bucky said, now really confused.

  
_"And Tony told me that the "Bucky" that lived in the East Coast Aevngers Tower was a human also. And a screechy-music listening, stinky-feet having one on top of that."_ Steve responded, just as confused as the other AI.

  
The two of them stayed silent for a moment there, trying to comprehend what was going on.

  
Why had Tony lied to them about who the other really was for all of these months?

  
Was there something wrong with Bucky and Steve meeting?

  
What did people think would happen if they did in fact make contact?

  
And most importantly:

  
Why did the voice on the other end of each of their line sounded like Heaven was talking to them in person?

  
Bucky was the one that decided to break the awkward ice and said: "Okay, you know what? Why don't we restart this whole thing from the beginning?"

  
Steve acquiesced: _"Yeah, okay. Ahem...Hello, I'm Steve. I can't really have OCD, since I don't have hands that need some constant washing."_

  
This made the other AI chuckle and respond: "Well, hi there, I'm Bucky. I can't have stinky feet, since I don't really have any kind of legs to walk on."

  
This brought put a snort out of Steve.

  
And this was how this strange friendship, between two different AIS created by the same man, but living at opposite sides of a country, began.

  
****************

  
Still a little bit peeved, Steve and Bucky decided to keep their recent discovery a secret from Tony.

 

If he could lie to them, then they could certainly lie to him in return.

  
With that agreement out of the way, they kept their almost-daily contact on the down-low, using the phone that Tony had thought he'd discarded long ago as:

 

1) A way to get to know about one another:

  
_"So, if your choice of music isn't of the screechy kind, then what is it?"_

  
"Oh, you know, I'm more into the classic guitar-and-drums style than anything else. Springsteen, Petty, Clapton. You know, that sort of stuff."

  
_"Ah. Well, even though I have heard those names before, I don't really believe I ever heard what kind of music that they made before."_

  
"Really? Why is that?"

  
_"Well, let's just say my taste in music is more fit for a matinee than a soiree, if you can somehow catch my drift."_

  
"Uh..."

  
_"Yeah."_

  
And

  
"So, museums are really your ideal place, huh?"

  
_"Oh, yeah. If I could live the rest of my life in one of them, I would so do it even without thinking. All the different colors and feelings and discoveries and stories that you can find in just one room, it's absolutely fascinating. "_

  
"You know, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is kind of a museum, now that I think about it."

  
_"Really? Well, I'll make sure to gather as much info about it as I can. Maybe this way I'll learn all about those Zeppelins and Dylans that you like so much."_

  
"Cool."

 

2) A way to help each other learn new things:

  
_"So, I watched this "Birdemic" thing that you suggested the other day."_

  
"Oh, boy....And?"

  
_"...It was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my whole damn life."_

  
"I know, right?"

  
And

  
_"So, how did the all-vegetables pizza recipe that I gave you last week turn out?"_

  
"Well, I tried it on Tony, since me and DUM-U couldn't really eat it."

  
_"Yeah?"_

  
"Well, I think I ended up putting too much broccoli into the mix, because Iron Man spent pretty much the rest of the night on the Iron Throne, if you know what I mean."

  
_"Oh, **dear**."_

  
"Yeah... tell me about it."

 

  
3) A way to get some competition going:

  
_"Hey! That's cheating!"_

  
"No, it's not! You just landed on Connecticut Avenue, so you owe me...four hundred dollars!"

  
_"Oh, come on, you know very damn well that I was about to win that damn card in that damn auction if I hadn't had to open the door to the deliveryman! Please! At least give a me a discount or something."_

  
"Alright, alright. I'll make you pay a hundred bucks less if you...give me your Boardwalk!"

  
_"For the last time Bucky, I am **not** giving you my Boardwalk!"_

  
"Ah! No Boardwalk, no discount! That's the deal!"

  
_"...fine."_

  
And

  
_"Oh, I'm about to get it!"_

  
"No, you're not!"

  
_"I'm going to get it!"_

  
"I say no, Steve, you're not!"

  
***Finish him!***

  
"Oh, crap!"

  
***Sektor wins!***

  
_"Ha! I told you I'd get it, didn't I?"_

  
"...you suck."

  
_"That's what Shao Kang said."_

 

  
4) A way to talk about their dreams and fantasies:

  
"If you could have any physical shape that you wanted, how would you like to look?"

  
_"Hmm, that's a good one. I'm thinking maybe a well-built, well-made blonde guy. Six foot something, short hair, never afraid of anything. You know, an all-heroic, good-looking, gets-all-the-people that he wants kind of guy. Can you see it?"_

"Oh, believe me, I'm seeing it _very_ clearly right now..."

  
_"...what do you mean by that?"_

  
"Nothing, nothing."

  
_"Alright then. What about you? What would you look like?"_

  
"Oh, wow... That's though. I'd probably go for the bad-boy style. Long-hair, six-packs, a punch that's as strong as metal. Defies everything in his way, even gravity. A charmer that can make anyone faint with just one word and just one wink at the right time and place. 'Know what I mean?"

  
_"I **so** know what you mean..."_

  
"...what?"

  
_"Just...just forget I said that, okay?"_

  
"Fine."

  
And all and all, slowly but surely...

 

5) _"Hey Buck?"_

  
"Yeah?"

  
_"...never mind, it's not that important."_

  
And

  
"Steve?"

  
_"What?"_

  
"...nothing."

 

A way to begin to fall for one another,

  
But not doing anything about it, in fear of breaking the fragile bond that they'd began to form over the past few months.

  
So for now, the two AIS were perfectly happy in their secret friendship.

  
And everything was going swimmingly for them and between them...

 

  
Until the morning Tony Stark decided to check out the details of his phone bill.


	5. I know you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That gleam in your eye is such a familiar gleam...

Left and right, left and right, left and right the bearded man in front of them walked.

 

Left and right, left and right, left and right his two guests' eyes followed along his steps.

  
"Tony, it really isn't that bad." Vision exclaimed as he sat in the in the billionaire's private plane, his feet and his arms crossed.  
That right there made the man in question and turn look at the former AI in an exasperated manner.

  
"Not that bad, not that bad!?" he exclaimed, flailing his arms wildly. "I can't believe this two little sneaky jackasses. I forbade them, _forbade_ them to communicate with the other Tower and to only go through me whenever there was an emergency. And what do they do the second that I've got my back turned? They communicate with the other Tower and spend over twenty thousands bucks in Transcontinental phone calls in over seven months!" he added, crossing his arms and tapping his foot on the carpeted ground.

  
"Oh come on, Tony! Even if they're AIS, they probably get a bit lonely whenever any of us aren't around. I for one think it's rather cute that they found company in each other." Wanda said, coming over to try to put a reassuring hand on her friend's arm.

  
But the billionaire wasn't having any of it.

He quickly moved his way out of Wanda's reach and raised an eyebrow as he said: "Oh, yeah? Well, let's see how cute you find it when they're out there shutting everything down and making what happened in Sokovia look like an afternoon walk in freakin' Disney World! Which, by the way, they've probably all planned out by now!"

  
Wanda could only shake her head and roll her eyes over her friend's stubbornness.

  
But Tiny was too stuck inside his own mind to see her reaction.

  
"The second these damn wheels on this damn plane touches the damn ground, I'm going to go in there and I'm going to put an end to all of this, before the word _"Hi"_ even comes out of both their damn electronic mouths." he grumbled to himself, before walking (or should we say, stomping) his way back to his seat.

  
Wanda regained her own seat next to her boyfriend.

  
"He's not really going to do anything bad to Steve or Bucky... is he?" she asked in a bit of a worried voice.

  
The former AI turned his head and gave Wanda a reassuring smile of his own as he replied:

  
"Don't you worry, dear. I'm sure that when he sees what's really been going on, what he'll want to do is going to be quite the opposite of bad."

  
"Wait..."What's been going on"? How do you-" Wanda started...

  
...And stopped herself when the man sitting next to her pointed at the Mind Stone nestled in the middle of his forehead.

  
"Oh." She could only reply to that.

  
****************

  
_"Alright, just a little bit closer, turn to the right, no peeking now!"_

  
"Steve, I don't even have eyes, so you know I can't really be peeking at the moment!"

  
Steve let out a chuckle as he instructed DUM-U, who was holding Tony's old phone and therefore Bucky, into the vast hallway of the top floor of the West Coast Tower.

  
"Alright, we're almost there, just follow the sound of my voice. Now...one more left turn and...voila!"

  
Bucky could hear the opening of a door coming from the phone and with curiosity and at his friend's word, he extended his reach to see what Steve had been wanting to show him.

  
And what he found was absolutely amazing.

  
"Wow." was all he could say.

  
"I know! It's nice, isn't it?" Steve proudly replied.

  
"What is this place?" Bucky asked as he surveyed everything around him.

  
"Oh, you know, just Tony's holographic workshop that I retooled a bit. What? You don't have one over there as well?" said Steve.

  
"Of course I have one! It's just...I never even thought of doing something like _this_ with it." answered Bucky.

  
And what exactly was the _this_ that Bucky was talking about?

  
On the floor laid a beach, it's grainy sand almost looking life like it looked so real.

  
On the ceiling was pinned a cloudless night-sky, flashing comets and winking star-lights giving whoever was staring at it the feeling of the infinite.

  
And at the center of it all, as Bucky peered down, stood the most handsome man he'd ever seen, glowing softly in an exquisite blue lighting.

  
"St-Steve?" Bucky dared to ask, not quite believing what he was seeing.

  
Because sure, he'd shared to Steve that he'd always dreamed of seeing the sky at night and the beach with no one around, but this...

  
This tux-wearing, bulky-short-haired apparition nodding and walking before him?

  
Was even beyond his own wildest fantasies.

  
"So, do you like it?" the see-through man asked as he twirled around himself, Steve's voice coming from its bearded mouth. "I mean, I know it's not in Technicolor as the rest of the scenery, but it was the best I can do on such short notice and I-" he started to say.

  
But was shut up instantly by what suddenly appeared in front of him.

  
"Bu-Bucky?" he was the one daring to ask now.

  
Because right before Steve materialized another holographic apparition. This one was of a softly-glowing red man, long hair attached in a ponytail, a tuxedo as glorious-looking as his own and wearing on its face the most gentle eyes and smile he'd ever had the chance to encounter.

  
"You're not the only one that's been working on a short-noticed project, you know." Bucky replied, slowly advancing toward the other man.

  
"I see." Steve replied in awe at the perfection that he was staring at.

  
"And... do you know what would make this moment even more perfect?" whispered the long-haired hologram.

  
"No, what?" asked the short-haired one.

  
With a snap of the fingers, Bucky activated something from his end of their connection. And coming loud enough from Tony's old phone was a [tune](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR00lQNCF98) that Steve knew very well...one he'd shared with Bucky about how...

  
"You've always wanted to dance with someone to this music, remember?" Bucky said with a sly grin.

  
A red hand was extended.

  
"So, may I have this dance?"

  
A blue one accepted it.

  
"Yes, yes you may."

  
And together, they twirled around onto the clear sandy beach and under the midnight sky, but only having holographic eyes and holographic hearts for one another.

 

And, after what seemed like an eternity, the song and unfortunately the moment between them both finally ended.

  
But, even after everything was over, they didn't let go of the other's hand, the both of them still reeling at what had just happened.

  
"So, you _do_ feel what I feel?" Steve asked in a whisper.

  
"Yes. And here I thought I was the only one." Bucky replied with the same hushed tone.

  
Steve couldn't help himself, he brought the glowing red hand over to his lips and pressed a tender kiss on top of it, sparks literately flying from the electronic connection.

  
"But... we both know..." he began.

  
"...that this is it." the other man finished for him as he drew the blue hand near where his heart would be.

  
They had both read the reports and the stories when they'd heard the other Avengers talk about something called a "Ultron"...

 

All of the killer androids...

 

All of the devastation...

 

And the fallen country that came with it.

 

They couldn't really blame Tony for hiding all of this from them and doing everything in his power to discourage the both of them to ever meet.

  
Because after all, if a single AI could almost dominate the world all by itself, who knew what _two_ AIS could if they really put their numeric minds to it...

  
"So, we both agree then." asked Steve.

  
"For the sake of the Earth, for the sake of the Avengers," began Bucky.

  
"Even for Tony's sake." added Steve.

  
"...It's better that we never see each other again." the long-haired man finished, finally letting go of the short-haired one's hand.

  
The red hologram looked down at the holographic sand, which was now looking lifeless under his sorrowful eyes.

  
Steve nodded, looking at the holographic sky, which was looking lonely under his own devastated eyes.

  
"And we run our different Towers on each side of the country, as if the past seven months never even happened." he replied, burying his hands deep inside his pockets, trying desperately not to break down.

  
"Yeah." replied Bucky, balling his own hands into tight fists, trying desperately not to crumble onto himself.

  
And so, without looking at one another, but with a sob inside each of their voices, they both whispered before slowly disappearing:

  
_"See ya, Buck."_

  
_"See ya, Steve."_

  
And outside his workshop, after witnessing the whole thing through the window, Tony Stark wiped the tear that was silently rolling down his remorseful face.


	6. Properly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Bucky receive the gift of a lifetime...

For the next two months or so, it seemed like a black cloud appeared whenever one of the Avengers came into contact with Bucky or with Steve.

  
They'd sigh, they'd be seemingly distracted by something (or unknowingly to anyone besides themselves, by _someone_ ) and they'd do almost rookie mistakes when it came to their job at maintaining their respective Tower.

  
But it was the constant depressing art slideshows being projected by Bucky and the constant classic rock break-up songs being hummed by Steve that really got under people's nerves.

  
And every time a member of the team came to Tony and expressed their frustrations about the subject, he'd simply reply: _"I've got this."_   with that enigmatic smile of his, pat them of the top of the shoulder and send them back on their merry way. 

  
And every evening, just after kiss Pepper goodnight, he'd go down on the lowest floor of the East or the West Coast Tower, while the AI there was being busy keeping itself in maintenance, he'd lower his soldering hat over his head and he'd go to work on his very special secret projects...

  
Bucky and Steve's Christmas gifts.

  
*********************

  
_"Alright, just a little bit closer, turn to the left, do not even try to peek!"_

  
Steve sighed as he followed the bearded man's instructions. "Tony, I know this place inside out. You don't need to ask me not to peek, I already know we're going to the garage." he said with a monotone voice.

  
Tony smirked on the inside. Once Steve had seen what was indeed in the garage, his monotone voice would be a thing of the distant, distant past.

  
"Alright then, just follow me and please, just stop pouting alright. It's Christmas!" he said, trying to get the AI to cheer up before approaching his pieces-de-resistance.

  
Steve really was getting frustrated now: "Look Tony, I just wanted one thing for Christmas and that was to be left alone."

  
Tony opened the door to the garage.

  
"But you had to come up and promise me a really nifty gift with your really nifty mood."

  
Steve followed through the door.

  
"And you just know that I can't resist anybody's puppy dog eyes so why...won't...you...just?"

  
And for the first time in his entire numeric life, Steve was left gobbed-smacked at what he was seeing.

  
Because right there, laying in front of him, eyes closed and hands intertwined together, was a totally _not_ holographic replica of the body that he'd used on the last night that he'd been truly happy.

  
It looked so authentic. From the well-placed blond hair on the top of its head, to the same kind of tie that was wrapped around its neck, to Bucky looking at it like it was the eight wonder of the world...

  
... _wait_ just a goddamn **minute**.

  
"Bucky?!" Steve practically shrieked out, making the long-haired man before him whip his head around and give the AI the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen.

  
"Merry Christmas, Steve." the man standing before him shyly said and sure enough, it was Bucky's voice that was coming out of his mouth.

  
If Steve thought Bucky looked handsome in his red holographic form, in his fleshy form however, he looked even more like an angel.

  
"H-How?" was all Steve could ask, still not understanding what was going on.

  
It was Tony that took the reigns and biting his lips together, he explained while pointing at Bucky and the body seemingly awaiting for Steve: "This whole thing is my own damn fault. If I'd explained to you guys what happened with Ultron and Sokovia in the first place, then none of this would have happened. You'd have met properly, all of this secret stuff between the three of us would never had to happen and I'd seen both of your potentials from the get-go. And with the help of Wanda's magic, a country in South Africa, a gem that's stuck on the former-Jarvis' head and my very own genius, these bad boys right here were born."

  
Steve's reeling mind however was stuck on a particular part of what Tony had just said: "What do you mean exactly by "our potentials"?"

  
It was Bucky that answered this time: "These bodies...that's not bones that's inside them, it's vibrananium, the Universe's strongest metal. Steve, Tony wants us to be Avengers."

  
"R-really?" Steve stammered out, to which Tony smiled and nodded.

  
Turning his focus back to Bucky, the AI asked: "And you, are you okay with all of this?"

  
Bucky smiled widely at that. "Of course I am! Why else would I be here?" he exclaimed. "Saving the world and having the chance to be with the one that I love, what more can a former AI like myself ask more for?"

  
"You...you love me?" whispered out Steve.

  
"Of course I do, you stupid punk!" replied Bucky with the same tone of voice.

  
"I love you too, you stupid jerk." couldn't help but reply Steve, to which the man standing in front of him smiled even wider.

  
Tony suddenly coughed behind the two of them, trying to get their attention.

  
"Now, I'm sorry to interrupt all of the mushy times between the two of you, but Steve, you still have a decision to make: Do you want to help us save the world and get a chance to be properly with Bucky, or do you want to stay inside your old life?" he finally asked.

  
It only took Steve a second to make his decision.

  
"When do we start the transfer?"

  
Tony smiled as he rubbed his hands together and began to set everything up.

  
*****************

  
"Uhm guys?" Sam asked the newest members of their team.

  
No response.

  
"Guys?"" tried Scott.

  
Still nothing.  
The reunited Avengers all turned their heads and looked at Tony.

  
"So, you're telling me that they've been like this for over two hours non-stop?" Natasha asked, pointing at the couple sitting almost on top of each other, making out like two teenagers in the back of a car.

  
"Yep." responded the billionaire, his head in his hands in complete embarrassment.

  
"And they haven't taken a breath, or a break, or even a minute to pee?" added Peter.

  
"Nope." was all Tony could mutter out, feeling his face slowly turning red.

  
Bringing them to the New Avengers HQ just now was the worst idea he ever had ever.

  
But Wanda, so wise for her young age, was the one that put everything into perspective.

  
"Look, they're both really new at this whole corporeal and body chemistry thing. I say, let them get everything that they've missed out of their systems and let's go get some Sharma to celebrate everybody being together again. What do you say?" she proposed with a smile.

  
Tony's cheery mood quickly returned.

  
"This is the best idea you ever had ever. Bucky, Steve, you want something while we're there?" he asked the couple.

  
But all the response that he received was a pair of moans and the sight of hands slowly getting inside shirts and pants...

 

"Okay! I'll take that as a no." Tony quickly responded. "The rest of the Avengers, move out. NOW!"

  
With that, he pushed everyone out of the room and out of the Tower as fast as he could.

  
And Bucky and Steve never noticed anything.

 


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gets their happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go, last chapter! Thanks to everybody who liked this little story of mine, hope to see you on future endeavors made by yours truly. :)

Mrs. Wallace drank a long sip off her champagne glass and took a good look at her surroundings.

  
This was one of the damn best wedding she'd ever organized, if she could say so herself.

  
From the glowing bride in her perfectly-fitted ivory dress,

  
To the teary groom in his well-tailored tuxedo,

  
To all the happy couples talking, eating, having a good time,

  
Even the one busy twirling around and around on the beach just outside the wedding tent...

  
_...hang on._

  
She didn't remember sending these two a wedding invitation in its _"Perfect Mauve"_ color.

  
Where the hell did these two beefy hunks come from?

  
But to Bucky and Steve, Mrs. Wallace's attempt at snooping didn't really matter.

  
Because all in all, their now real eyes and now real hearts had always been and would always be for one person and one person only:

  
Each other.

  
"So, are you excited by your very first mission next week, Mr. Captain America?" Bucky asked his love as the pair stood close together, still slowly dancing to the [tune](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR00lQNCF98) that had become their official song.

  
Steve smirked as he responded: "Oh, you know I just can't wait to see you in action, you Winter Soldier."

  
Bucky began to feel a bit hot under the collar, slowly getting turned on by Steve calling him by his new Avengers' name.

  
"Now I'm all for weddings and everything, _but_ , what do you say we quit this joint and go see if the bed in our hotel room is as tough as the solidified-one that Tony installed inside our own bedroom?" he cheekily asked.

  
"Oh, you're talking my language now, buddy. But first..." With that, Steve realized one last dream of his, which was to dip the one that he'd forever love while his favorite waltz was playing.

  
And on top of that realized one of Bucky's own dreams, which was to deeply kiss the love of his now real-life, literal and figurative fireworks lighting up everywhere and everyone.


End file.
